Category Archives: Community

November 2, 2025 · 1:00 am

Tiger Widows

File:THE CLOSE-UP.jpg

Tiger hiding in Bandavgarh National Park, India, Author Amitban77 (Creative Commons Atribution 4.0 International)

“…The Sundarbans [is] a vast mangrove forest straddling the border of India and Bangladesh…

In the coastal villages of the Sundarbans, many women have lost their husbands to tiger attacks.  These men — fishermen, honey collectors, and woodcutters — venture into the forest’s treacherous depths to earn a living.  When they don’t return, their wives are left to face not only grief but also a cruel and unjust blame.  They are branded as Apia (inauspicious) or even “husband-eaters.”

Branded as Cursed:  A Life of Blame and Ostracism

Superstition dictates that when a man enters the forest, his wife must observe strict rituals and vows for his safety.  However, if her husband falls prey to a tiger, the community immediately presumes that the wife must have failed in her duties or is inherently unlucky.  The responsibility for his death is placed squarely on her shoulders.

This social condemnation is just the beginning.  The women, now known as tiger widows, face severe ostracism.

  • Villagers may stop interacting with them.
  • They are refused work in agricultural fields or community fishing.
  • They are barred from attending social and religious ceremonies.

Forced into isolation, these women must raise their children alone, often in a separate hut on the outskirts of the village.  Crippled by poverty, many are forced to pull their children from school and send them to cities to work as child laborers. Worse still, their vulnerability is often exploited, and if a tiger widow is sexually assaulted, the finger of blame is, yet again, pointed at her…”  [Continued at:  https://shobdoneerin.com/2025/09/04/sundarbans-tiger-widows-blamed-for-the-kill-shunned-by-society/comment-page-1/?unapproved=79&moderation-hash=3fc82dcecf5c5cbb795093646fb5cb61#comment-79 ]

This post is courtesy of Samiran Mandal who blogs at https://shobdoneerin.com.

The Franciscan Sisters have returned land to the Lac du Flambeau tribe in an effort to repair the painful Native American boarding school legacy.  This is the first time a Catholic institution has returned Wisconsin tribal land as an act of reparation.

See, https://waow.com/news/top-stories/a-historic-first-catholic-institution-returns-tribal-land-back-to-lac-du-flambeau-tribe/article_0f59e30d-b3cb-4381-becd-959559d2ef3a.html.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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September 7, 2025 · 1:00 am

Looksmaxxing

Individual dressed as character Kratos from PlayStation video game “God of War”, Source https://www.flickr.com, Author Mooshuu, (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

Children imitate the adults around them.  It appears that young boys are now becoming as vain and shallow as we have taught young girls to be.

Since far too many are being brought up by the action heroes in films, the player characters in video games, and the “hypermasculine” influencers online instead of parents, boys are now falling prey to a trend called “looksmaxxing” which emphasizes idealized — often unrealistic — male looks [1][2].  Boys who cannot achieve the desired appearance are subject to derision and bullying by peers, depression, and even suicide.

Do we need more evidence that we have abandoned our children?  Or is the problem that we lead such empty and self-absorbed lives, ourselves, we cannot tell the difference?

—

[1]  Wikipedia, “Looksmaxxing”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looksmaxxing.

[2]   Parents Magazine, “Why ‘Looksmaxxing’ Is Putting Teen Boys at Risk” by Ashleigh DeLuca, 6/24/25, https://www.parents.com/why-looksmaxxing-is-putting-teen-boys-at-risk-11756133.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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January 28, 2024 · 1:00 am

Enslaved 2024 – Part 3

File:Human Trafficking.jpg

Human Trafficking, concept image by Tapas Kumar Halder, Author Tapas Kumar Halder, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

We conclude our discussion of the blight of human trafficking with suggestions as to how the public can prevent and respond to this profound evil [1].

What You Can Do

Concerned as they may be, most people are overwhelmed by the magnitude of human trafficking — at a loss for how they can make a difference.  But there are things the average person can do [2]:

  • Become educated about human trafficking, and stay alert to the situations people may be experiencing.
  • Share information about human trafficking with family, friends, neighbors, business associates, and fellow bloggers.
  • Support local anti-trafficking organizations, either financially or by volunteering.  Pro bono attorneys are especially needed.  An online directory of community organizations is available here:  https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/find-local-services.
  • Buy with care.  Consider where (and by whom) food, clothing, jewelry, electronics, and other items were produced.  An extensive list of items made by forced labor or child labor can be found here:  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods.
  • Get help for a family member, co-worker, student, tenant, patient, or someone else in need.  The National Human Trafficking Hotline https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/contact provides free confidential support, 24/7.  Call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733 (BEFREE).
  • Partner with the schools, healthcare providers, and other institutions and professionals serving those experiencing human trafficking.  Together with them, craft student safety programs for children at risk, fair workplace protocols, and ethical procurement practices at places of employment.  Work for safe and affordable housing, and accessible healthcare.
  • Speak out.  Inquire what elected representatives are doing about human trafficking.  Urge that trafficking be made a priority.

Continue reading →

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October 15, 2023 · 1:00 am

Murdered Children and the Indian Child Welfare Act

File:Carlisle pupils.jpg

Pupils at Carlisle Native Industrial School, Pennsylvania (PD)

WARNING:  Graphic Images

From 1869 to the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Native American children were removed from their parents and placed at boarding schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs [1][2].

There the children were forbidden to use their tribal names, speak their tribal languages, wear their tribal clothing, or practice their tribal religions.  Discipline was generally harsh.  Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse were not unknown.

Though perhaps well intentioned, this cultural genocide (now termed ethnocide) was inexcusable [3][4A].  The trauma to these children was incalculable [4B].

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was created as a reaction to such forced assimilation [5][6A][9A].  The purpose of the ICWA was to protect the cultural identity and heritage of Indian tribes [9B].

The ICWA mandates that the state pursue the best interests of the tribe, rather than that of the individual child, in cases of abuse.  Officials must place an abused or neglected child with race-matched foster and adoptive families [6B].

Published guidelines by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in fact, indicate that child welfare officials should not consider the best interests of the child in placement – irrespective of poverty, substance abuse, or other “non-conforming social behavior” such as crime in the home [9C].

For any child living on a reservation, the tribe has exclusive jurisdiction of child welfare cases [9D]. Continue reading →

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September 3, 2023 · 1:00 am

A Dumpster and the Value of Life

File:Olivia-Rae balloon release debris - 2018-08-28 - Andy Mabbett - 04.jpgBalloon release, Author Andy Mabbett (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

WARNING:  Graphic Images

The body of a 12 y.o. boy was found this week in a dumpster in West Philadelphia — a destitute and poverty stricken corner of the City of Brotherly Love [1A].

The boy, Hezekiah “Hezzy” Bernard, had been shot in the head.  His body was wrapped in plastic before being discarded with the trash, at a public housing complex.  The death has been formally ruled a homicide.

“He lit up a room. He was always dancing…He was teachable, he wanted to be mentored and he was joining our new job training program.”

–Pastor Aaron Campbell of LevelUp, a Christian non-profit which serves Philadelphia’s disadvantaged youth [1B][2]

Hundreds in the community gathered for a balloon release to honor the young boy.  But he was never reported missing by family or friends, and the challenge for police will be to identify his killer.

Witness cooperation with law enforcement investigations is notoriously difficult to obtain in Philadelphia.   This stems from a combination of misplaced loyalty, police distrust, and the constant fear of retribution.

Was this boy, himself, the witness to a crime?  Was he shot to punish some family member?  Was he a victim of mistaken identity?   Was his death pay-back for some imagined slight to a stranger?  Was he simply at the wrong place, at the wrong time — collateral damage in yet another unreported shooting?

Life is cheap in what these days is politely called the “inner city”.  Children are murdered and left in dumpsters.

But this is not how God sees it.

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor” (Prov. 21: 21).

God is the source of all life.  Through Him we can have life, now and in eternity.  That is our comfort in affliction (Ps. 119: 50).

—

[1A and 1B]  Philadelphia Inquirer, “The body of a 12-year-old boy was found in a dumpster in West Philadelphia, police say” by Ellie Rushing and Chris Palmer, 8/31/23, https://www.inquirer.com/crime/hezekiah-bernard-body-found-dumpster-west-philadelphia-20230831.html.

[2]  LevelUp, https://levelupphilly.org/.

A second 12 y.o. boy, Jaylen Richards, was shot Saturday night in Baltimore, MD.   Whether he was the intended target is unknown.  He died in Shock Trauma, after unsuccessful attempts to save him.

See, https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maisel-court-shooting-baltimore/43609191#.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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June 11, 2023 · 1:00 am

The Dirty Dozen

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Dirty_moviep.jpg

Poster for The Dirty Dozen, Source http://www.movieposter.com 

The Dirty Dozen is a classic war film from the 1960s starring Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and Telly Savales [1].  In the film, a dozen military prisoners are selected for a dangerous mission against the Nazis.

Unfortunately, those who target children for purposes of sexual exploitation are equally sinister adversaries.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has released its own Dirty Dozen List for 2023 https://endsexualexploitation.org/dirtydozenlist-2023/ .  This is a list of corporations which facilitate, enable, or profit from policies which put children at risk.

Often these corporation provide the tech platforms we use daily.  Unfortunately, they can make children targets in their own homes by allowing strangers easy access for grooming and sexual abuse.

This year the Dirty Dozen List includes eBay and Apple’s App Store; the social media sites Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, and Kik; the popular music site Spotify; and the video game sites Roblox and Discord.

The goal is to motivate these companies to improve their practices.  That approach has, in the past, been successful with Amazon, Walmart, Verizon, and United Airlines.

The burden is on consumers to make their concerns known.

—

[1]  IMDb, “The Dirty Dozen (1967)”, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061578/.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT:  https://alawyersprayers.com

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June 4, 2023 · 1:00 am

Lost Voices

Lost Voices https://www.lostvoices.org/ is a non-profit which uses music as a vehicle to change the lives of children impacted by violence, abuse, neglect, and human trafficking.

The non-profit was founded by Executive Director Mike Ball, after a visit to a Juvenile Detention Center.

Young people are encouraged to get in touch with their feelings by writing and performing their own songs. Workshops are facilitated by trained musicians.

A key element of the Lost Voices program is trauma informed care which focuses on the need to understand life experiences, establishing a non-judgmental setting in which young people can work through their emotions.

The goal is to confirm for these children that — whatever they may have done or been subjected to — their lives remain valuable.

“A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth” (Isa. 42: 3).

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT:  https://alawyersprayers.com

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May 14, 2023 · 1:00 am

Troop 6000

File:Girl Scout cookies (Girl Scouts of the USA).jpg

Girl Scout Cookies, Author Photoguy439 (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)

New York City’s Girl Scout Troop 6000 has the unique mission of reaching out to girls experiencing homelessness or living in shelters for other reasons [1A].

Since its inception in 2017, Troop 6000 has raised over $1.6 million through the cookie sales for which the Girl Scouts are famous, and corporate matching donations.  These funds — which go toward trips, summer camp, and other adventures — have benefited some 2500 women and girls across 20 shelters throughout the New York City area.

This year, Troop 6000 was expanded to include the immigrants and asylum seekers at Emergency Response and Relief Centers.  Currently, there  are approximately 37,500 such migrants in the care of New York City’s Dept. of Homeless Services.

Troop 6000 is the brainchild of Giselle Burgess who was, herself, living in a shelter with her 5 children at the time.  Similar troops have now been started in Iowa, Tennessee, California, and Nevada.

“This population of young women has seen incredibly traumatic events.  And that is right at the core of what we need to do.  We need to take care of them and show them that they deserve the care.”

–Meridith Maskara, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater New York [1B]

—

[1A and 1B]  CNN, “This New York Girl Scout troop is the first of its kind.  Here’s why” by Vanessa Yurkevich, 5/9/23, https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/09/business/girl-scouts-troop-6000/index.html.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT:  https://alawyersprayers.com

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February 19, 2023 · 1:00 am

“Civil Rights Leaders Care More About Planned Parenthood Than Black Families” by Delano Squires

File:Father and Child - Bus Station - Leon - Nicaragua (30818584073).jpg

Image Source https://www.flickr.com, Author Adam Jones
(CC BY-SA 2,0 Generic)

“If black lives truly mattered to civil rights organizations, they would spend more time promoting strong families and less energy pushing abortion on demand…

As a candidate and president, [Barack] Obama talked openly about marriage, family, and fatherhood…[H]e gave a speech about violent crime in Chicago 10 years ago that…included this observation:

‘There’s no more important ingredient for success, nothing that would be more important for us reducing violence, than strong, stable families — which means we should do more to promote marriage and encourage fatherhood.’

Countless black progressive politicians, pundits, professors, preachers, and performers…rejected…[Obama’s] attempts to tie family structure to social outcomes because they believe racial inequality is caused by systemic forces, not individual decisions.  The family is the one institution they show no interest in discussing.

…All references to the connection between fatherhood and social outcomes were removed in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Party platforms.

It’s a lot easier to ignore the importance of fathers and families if you believe America would be a better place if fewer black children were born.  This is the logical conclusion to draw when abortion activists claim black women will be the primary victims of limits on abortion.”

Continue reading →

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January 22, 2023 · 1:00 am

Child Labor in the United States

File:Pig carcasses in a Los Angeles meat packing plant.jpg

Workers with pig carcasses at Los Angeles meat packing plant (1945), Source https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/zz0002qn8w, Author Los Angeles Daily News (CC-BY-4.0 International)

The term “child labor” conjures up images of 19th Century sweat shops.  If meat packing plants are mentioned, some of us may recall Upton Sinclair’s 1905 expose The Jungle [1].

Few of us would imagine that child labor practices are still engaged in today.  Unfortunately, that is the case.

Cleaning Slaughterhouses

The Labor Dept. in December settled a civil suit against Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI) for the violation of child labor laws [2].

Investigators had found some 50 children (one as young as 13 y.o.) employed by PSSI cleaning slaughterhouses at 5 different locations in Nebraska and Michigan.  An earlier investigation in Kansas was dropped when necessary records could not be obtained.

“Oppressive Child Labor” Standards

The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits “oppressive child labor” [3].  Labor Dept. regulations identify many positions in slaughterhouses and meat packing plants as hazardous for minors.

In particular, the “kill floors” in meat packing facilities are known to have slippery surfaces from animal fat, hot water, and soap [4A].  Though safety equipment is required for their use, strong cleaning chemicals can cause caustic burns from exposure.

No Penalties or Fines

Despite all this, the Labor Dept. issued no penalties or fines to PSSI [4B]. Continue reading →

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